Share It

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Smith's Behavior Is Nostalgic

Unfortunately, the downside of Steve Smith rears its ugly head again -picture it. An on-field jostle between Smith and Lucas - Smith cutsinside, Lucas is already occupying that space and tries to force Smithback outside. Smith falls, the two tangling. Then go forward - aspecial teams practice now. Players are on the sidelines, Smith jawswith Lucas, and then standing over Lucas, sucker-punches his teammate. Picture Jon Beason pulling Smith off Lucas.

Picture Muhsin Muhammad corraling Smith as he's taken away to the next field. Picture Lucas,bloody and injured. Picture Muhammad all but picking Smith up andhaving him confront Lucas on the training table and supposedly makingup. Picture Muhammad and John Kasay trying to council Smith, away fromthe team, and John Fox talking to his defense about how there "won't beretaliation."Picture Marty Hurney escorting Smith away from the field, undoubtedly tosit down with Jerry Richardson, with the two waiting for Fox to endpractice. Picture Lucas carted off. Nostalgia isn't necessarily a positive. It's literal root meaning is of an old wound. And unfortunately, this brings that old wound back.

There was talk of how Smith had changed - of course, if you remember himwalking off the field in Tennessee because he wasn't getting the ball (Ididn't), you know he hadn't. If you remembered him vowing to never field returns again after the Dallas game, where he was called on in anemergency to help the team out, you know he hadn't. That C on hisjersey, the years of maturity, it turns out, amounted to nothing.